Tougher penalties on dog fouling

The fine for dog owners in Broadland who fail to clear up their pet's mess straight away has doubled, following new powers adopted by Broadland District Council as a way of combating dog fouling.

A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is now in force across Broadland, which increases the fixed penalty fine for the offence from £50 to £100 and extends the scope to include all public areas and areas the public have access. Unlike previous legislation, this covers footpaths through woodland and marshland near to rivers and broads.

A maximum fine of £1,000 if the case goes to magistrates' court remains in place.

The council is also relaunching its Broadland Top Dog campaign this month to combat the issue of dog fouling and get the message across to dog owners about the new PSPO. Hundreds of responsible owners signed up to the scheme when it was launched in 2016, with their dogs wearing colourful ribbons on collars and leads to show support. Ribbons are currently available from the council's reception and you can download a poster to put up on your own property boundary to encourage people to clear up after their pet where you live from the council's website.

"We understand how frustrating it is for residents when a few individuals spoil public spaces, therefore we're pleased to introduce this new order that will help us impose a tougher penalty on irresponsible dog owners and, more importantly, we hope it will deter people from leaving dog mess behind after a walk. It's also great to see the return of Broadland Top Dog, which I hope encourages people to help us crack down on the minority of dog owners who do not pick up after their pets by reporting incidents to us."

Anyone who witnesses environmental crimes such as failing to clear up dog mess in Broadland or has information that may help to identify an offender should contact Broadland District Council and provide as much information as possible, such as the location and time of the offence, description of the offender(s) and dog, and the registration number of any vehicle involved. Please call 01603 430534 or email environ.protection@broadland.gov.uk. The council does not advise anyone to approach an offender.